Bethenny Frankel got real about her biggest challenge when it comes to parenting her teenage daughter, Bryn.
“We’re right ‘be-tween’ childhood and adulthood, where they think they know everything, but your job is to protect them from the world and themselves,” the Real Housewives of New York City alum, 52, exclusively shares in the new issue of Us Weekly. “I love parenting!”
Frankel welcomed her sole daughter, 13, with ex Jason Hoppy in May 2010. The pair — who wed in 2010 — split two years after welcoming their baby girl. The exes spent years in a tumultuous custody battle over Bryn. In 2020, the entrepreneur was awarded full custody of the teen and finalized her lengthy divorce in 2021. Frankel moved on from the pharmaceutical sales executive, 52, that same year with her now-fiancé Paul Bernon.
Over the years, the mother-daughter duo have made the most of their time together. Recently, the twosome had a blast seeing Taylor Swift in concert. Frankel and Bryn enjoyed their girls’ night out seeing the “Lavender Haze” songstress, 33, perform in Philadelphia and even had tickets to see Swift again in Boston. However, after seeing Swift take the stage once, the duo decided to give up their tickets to another mother-daughter duo in need so they could attend the concert instead. While the former reality star and her teen loved seeing Swift perform, they don’t limit their quality time to rare special occasions.
“We love rituals and creating memories with every holiday and season,” the Business Is Personal author explains to Us. “From vegetable picking to surfing to wakeboarding and snowboarding, we do a lot together.”
As Bryn gets older, Frankel marvels at watching her little one grow and find her passions. While the teen tells her mom that “dismissal” is her favorite subject, the Skinnygirl founder knows her daughter also has an interest in “science, arts and sports” noting that Bryn plays lacrosse and even scored “three goals in one game.”
“Bryn is creative and free. I don’t want her to be like me,” she tells Us. “I like her not [worrying] about a goal set.”
As Bryn grows up and finds her own identity, she does look to her mom for inspiration and has even watched some of Frankel’s various TV projects — including the Real Housewives franchise. Frankel was one of the original cast members of RHONY during its 2008 debut but took a break from the series after three seasons. She returned to the Bravo show in 2015 for season 7 but exited the series for good in August 2021.
“[Bryn has] watched some of the Housewives,” Frankel revealed to Us. “I think she finds it entertaining but really hates it for me.”
